Laura O’Sullivan is orchestrating the jolly for Coronado’s favorite small town tradition – Candy Cane Lane. Having moved to Coronado in 1983, Laura shares, “My dad was in the Navy. Since I was three, I have memories of Candy Cane Lane, which is the 400 to 500 block of Country Club Lane. Being in Candy Cane Lane around the holidays was almost something magical.” At that time, the lane had already had two decades of holiday cheer under Santa’s belt.
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As is common for many long time Coronado residents, Laura explored other areas before making her way back to town. In 2013, she was delighted to buy a house on “Candy Cane Lane.”
“I said to the neighbors ‘I love this tradition; we are so excited to be on this street. Who do I talk to make sure I’m with the program?’ They said Mrs. Hubbard had been put in an assisted living facility; she was always the senior elf. Then they said, ‘I’m so glad that you showed up – you are now the senior elf.’” Laura laughs. She has happily held the position of senior elf ever since. “It sounds a lot more official than it is. Basically, I’m the cheerleader to get everyone to decorate.”
A Community Tradition
There have, expectedly, been some changes over the decades. “A lot of people had been moving in and out in the ’60s. There were a lot of Navy families and they were very traditional,” said Laura. “The men would make the cutouts and the women would paint them. Every year they would come up with a new theme.”
Laura kept some of the founding traditions but has let the lane evolve over the years. As for choosing a new theme, Laura comments, “I don’t feel that kind of energy. I just want everyone to put something up in the old school plywood cutouts. We don’t want the blow-ups and lots of lights. We help the new neighbors when they move in and share how Candy Cane Lane comes about.”
In addition to new residents, Santa also makes his way to the Lane during a special one-night event, which took place on December 8 this year. For the last five years, on one magical night, the 400 and 500 blocks of Country Club Lane are closed to traffic (the street ends in a cul-de-sac so it’s mostly residents that drive there) and it’s a Candy Cane Lane Open House. Originally it started with Santa on Laura’s porch on a Saturday and it’s since expanded to the entire neighborhood.
“I have a good friend and I really wanted to give back,” Laura says. “We had little kids at the time and didn’t want to drive our kids to the mall Santa, and thought, ‘What if we get Santa here and invite our friends over? Come take a picture with Santa and please bring a gift for children in need.”
The idea was good, but Laura quickly learned that everyone’s idea of a gift really varies. Even when ideas were given – such as bedsheets – some gifters decided on their own unique ideas. Now, Laura requests that anyone who wishes to donate makes a monetary donation.
Candy Cane Lane Open House
The event operates more as a tell-your-friend event than being widely publicized. “It’s small town hockey, it’s not Candy Cane Lane in Chula Vista, Christmas Card Lane in La Mesa, or Garrison Street in Point Loma. We don’t want it to be,” says Laura. “It’s small town charm. If you know where Candy Cane Lane is – you’re invited! We purposely don’t advertise because we couldn’t handle 3,000 people if they came.”
As far as the special night this year, “We had one neighbor do mulled wine. Another neighbor got a churro stand and a cotton candy machine. One neighbor gets the sugar plum fairies – Miss Lisa is the kids’ music teacher. She comes with some of her fellow singers, and they do caroling.” In prior years Candy Cane Lane has even featured high school students who had a band.
Giving Back
All the Country Club neighbors are doing this out of the goodness of their heart. It has been an added bonus over the past few years to include the fundraising component. “I think it’s important, especially in the Coronado community where we have so much to be grateful for, to give back to others. We’re buying Christmas presents and Hanukkah presents and giving teachers gifts – all well-deserved, but it’s nice to think of kids that don’t have a family or a network,” said Laura.
Youth Housing Project, 2024 Beneficiary
This year’s recipient has a personal connection to Laura. “I work for Youth Services, and I used to be on their board. With this fundraiser we usually support kids. [This year] is for former foster youth kids who are currently homeless. The youth housing project is in La Mesa. It’s an old Travelodge that they’ve converted into temporary housing. They pull kids off the street; they’re 18 to 24 years old. They can live there up to two years, but most kids only live there three to four months and then they become self-sufficient and independent.
“Sometimes they have been in foster care and don’t know where their birth certificate is. We help them get that. Or a driver’s license to help them get a job. It’s the ripple effect.
“It’s an incredible program transforming lives. 50% of the chronic homeless were originally homeless as youth, so if we can stop that tide and give opportunities to these amazing, incredible, resilient kiddos, I think that really is solving a huge problem. We don’t see it really in Coronado, but it exists.”
Laura passionately describes the community of homeless youth, teens and young adults as an invisible population, “They look like my kid with a backpack. They’re at a park, they’re at McDonald’s, they’re at the library. They are at school, and they might not have a home. They might be couch surfing or whatnot.”
How to Support Youth Housing Project
As far as how the fundraising works, Laura explains that they have a Venmo code that folks can donate to. While she has considered putting together an Angel Tree at some point, right now the easiest and most effective way to donate to the organization is Venmo.
“They don’t have the network, so it’s lovely to wrap up a gift card to Walmart so they can buy groceries, shoes, whatever they need for the holidays. To show that someone is thinking of them.”
Last year, Candy Cane Lane raised $2,500 to support Safe Family Services which benefits the survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking. So far this year, the Lane has raise $1,500 for the homeless youth.
Donations are still being accepted here.
Small Town Response
Laura’s favorite part of Candy Cane Lane is the response she gets. “When I hear from people that this is their favorite thing in Coronado, that is small town special. I think it’s amazing that we get 26 homes to decorate. It’s sweet that a neighborhood comes together, and we help each other out to put our decorations up or fix the decorations. It’s not an A+ production, but it’s just sweet and community building. I’ve had people reach out to me asking to bring back the jack-in-the-box they remember when they were a child in the ’60s!”
Laura talks about the decorations, “We purposely keep it as a reflection of what it was in the ’60s. There weren’t blow ups and there weren’t electronic lights. Now you’ll see some of our newer neighbors punch it up a little bit but it’s still a combination of old and new.”
The Event is Over, But the Lane is Still Open!
While you won’t find Santa on the block post-event, the decorations and ambiance remain. According to the senior elf, lights should be on from dusk to about 10:30 pm every night throughout December.
Laura concludes, “I really want to say that I’m just honored to carry on the legacy that was started before me. I am so lucky that we got to buy a house on the Lane. It’s the spirit, it’s helping others, which is really what the season is about. We couldn’t do it without everyone in this neighborhood.”
Mark Your Calendars for Candy Cane Lane 2025
Laura is proud to have the Lane open on the same night as Ride the Lights, giving a special show to those on the bikes that care to go for a longer ride. She says that you can count on Candy Cane Lane being open on the Sunday following the Christmas Parade each year.
For more events, check out Holiday Happenings 2024.
